Unwritten
by goshinote
Summary: A love story with a twist...read it and weep. AU one-shot. InuKag. Complete.


Hello, darlings. Here is a little one-shot I've been working on for about a week now. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Unwritten**

The sound of chair legs grinding on the floor broke Inuyasha from his stupor.

Looking up from the cup of coffee into which he'd been staring, he was met by a blue-eyed, black-haired woman with what looked like a permanent smile on her face.

"Are you Inuyasha?" she asked.

Said man nodded. "Yes. What's your name?"

The woman's smile turned into a small smirk. "For now I think I'm just a girl," she replied, a sly tone in her voice. "Names aren't important right now."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I see," he said. "So you can know my name but I can't know yours?"

The woman sat down in the chair she'd slid from the table and shrugged. "All in due time, Inuyasha." His name came from her lips in a teasing voice, as if knowing that she'd one-upped him by having his name while remaining nameless herself.

"So tell me about yourself," Inuyasha requested, his mind going back to the whole point of their meeting.

The woman set her hands on the table and glanced at the small notebook that was sitting next to Inuyasha's coffee. "I'm twenty-three, I dabble in archery, and I work as a nurse at the local hospital."

Inuyasha picked up his pen and wrote those things down. "What else do you 'dabble' in?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm a big reader," she explained. "Once you put a book in my hand, I won't put it down until I've read it from cover to cover."

Inuyasha took note of that. "And what's your favorite book?"

With a small smile, the woman shrugged. "I have too many to choose a favorite," she replied. "Don't you think favorites are too...restricting?"

Inuyasha grinned. "I suppose you're right. You must be a free soul."

She shrugged. "Call it what you want...but I can't say I disagree with that one."

They continued their conversation for the next hour or so, during which time Inuyasha had learned that her favorite food was oden, she had one brother, and her mother was a single parent due to a car accident that had taken her father's life when she was a child. Her favorite color was green and she was currently single.

"Is my current relationship status of interest to you?" she asked slyly. "Sounds like an interesting interview question."

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's quite normal for my usual interviews. Now please answer the question."

The woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I've been single for a while."

Inuyasha wrote that down. "Any past heartbreak?"

The woman shook her head. "Just an ex-boyfriend I split with amicably. Nothing crazy."

The interview continued for another fifteen minutes until Inuyasha felt he had enough information about the woman.

"Thank you for your time," Inuyasha said as he rose from the table. "I'll be in touch."

The woman smiled and stood up before pushing her chair back in. "Kagome. That's my name. Ka-go-me."

Inuyasha didn't hesitate to chuckle. "Well, have a great day, Ka-go-me."

O.o.O.o.O

That night, Inuyasha went over all of the information he'd gathered from Kagome during their interview.

For his line of work, he had a rather odd way of choosing his people. It was a bit unorthodox, but it got the job done.

He couldn't decide.

_I'll keep thinking about it tomorrow,_ he said before he drifted off to sleep.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha woke up with a start about an hour before his alarm clock was supposed to go off. He sat up in his bed and ran a hand down his face before taking a deep breath. He didn't recall having a nightmare, but he felt strange all over.

"I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep," he resolved out loud. "Might as well start the day."

He got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. As he began to brew a pot of coffee, he picked his phone up from the kitchen counter where it had been charging the night before.

A text from Kagome was waiting for him. Checking the time, he saw that she had sent it late the previous night.

**Meeting you was a pleasure. Can I see you again soon?**

Eyebrows raised, Inuyasha unlocked his phone to answer the text. He had _never_ received a text after conducting an interview, especially a rather flirtatious one, but he shook it off. Kagome seemed great, and her interview had probably been the best one he'd ever done.

**Likewise. Tonight?**

A moment later, his phone pinged. _She's up early, _he noticed.

**Sounds great. Pick me up?**

After an affirmation, Kagome sent him her address after they'd agreed on getting together at seven that evening. He would be picking her up from her apartment downtown, but he hadn't quite figured out what they would be doing.

_It's my first date in a while, _he mused. _Well, maybe 'date' is too strong of a word...but an outing with a woman, to say the least. Something about this does feel weird though...maybe I'm just imagining things. _

Inuyasha whiled away the day, working on his latest book series. He'd hit somewhat of a writer's block lately, which was odd for such a renowned author like himself. He'd shrugged it off, though. Even the best have their off times. He knew it sounded cocky, but he truly was one of the best authors in Japan, maybe even in Asia. At least now he had some new material to work with.

Later that evening, he decided it was time to take a shower and get ready to pick Kagome up.

He put on a simple pair of khakis and a light blue button-up shirt. It took what felt like forever to brush out his long, silver hair, but the end product was at least decent enough.

Sliding on a pair of dress shoes, he deemed himself presentable and headed out.

It was a twenty minute drive to Kagome's apartment. When he arrived, he parked his car and headed out to knock on her door.

"Coming!" she shouted from inside after he knocked. A moment later, she opened the door looking nowhere near ready.

_Procrastinator?_ Inuyasha observed. _Hmm...quite a trait._

"Hey," he greeted.

Kagome looked embarrassed. "Hi, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm not quite ready. I'll just be a minute. Sit down wherever you would like."

She opened the door all the way so Inuyasha could enter. He saw a small kitchen connected to a nice-sized living room, with what he assumed was a hallway just off the living room.

"I'll be back," she said as she walked out of the room. He heard a quiet curse as she appeared to stub her toe against the doorframe as she headed down the hall.

_A little clumsy, _he noticed. _She put on quite the show yesterday...I guess she's not as suave as I first thought. _He smiled. _It's almost...endearing. _

Five minutes later, she came back into the living room in a simple green dress and a pair of white sandals on her feet. Her hair was long and flowing, and she wore no make-up or jewelry except...one earring?  
"Um, Kagome," he began as he got up to walk over to her. She watched him carefully as he reached up to brush her hair out of her face, revealing her vacant ear. "You're missing an earring."

Reaching up, she rolled her eyes. "Oops," she said as she hurried down the hall again.

It seemed like there had been a change in her from yesterday; it was as if she were no more than a teenager now with all her haphazard running around. Despite that, Inuyasha smiled. She was far from boring.

Kagome returned a moment later with both earrings in her ears and a smile on her face.

"Okay, I'm ready," she announced as she grabbed a light sweater.

She led Inuyasha to the door before locking it up after they walked outside.

"So what's our plan for this evening?" she asked as they walked to Inuyasha's car.

"I was thinking we could go to dinner," he suggested.

Kagome looked pleased. "Sounds good to me."

At dinner, Kagome ordered oden, which was no surprise to Inuyasha. He'd made sure that he suggested a restaurant that had it on the menu.

One thing he noticed about Kagome that was consistent from the interview was her constant smile. He wondered what she looked like when she frowned, or was mad, or unhappy. Of course, he didn't want her to feel any of these emotions, but he was certainly intrigued by the woman.

When their dinner had been served to them, Inuyasha decided to bring it up.

"You certainly smile a lot," he commented casually.

Kagome looked up as she took a bite of oden. "I like to be positive." Her statement was simple, which Inuyasha liked.

They kept up a steady conversation over dinner, and Inuyasha found that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He felt an odd sense of affection for Kagome, and he found himself not wanting the night to end.

"Would you like to go for a walk in the park?" he asked as they left the restaurant. Kagome nodded and followed him to his car.

Once they'd reached the park, they walked a little ways until they found a bench to sit on. The night lights were lit, and they accentuated the beauty of the setting summer sun.

"I've never been to this park before," Kagome mentioned as they admired the sunset.

Inuyasha was surprised. This was a pretty common place for people to come.

"Why not?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged. "I never really came to parks. I mostly only did archery and more rugged camping trips when I was growing up. You know...bonding with nature, sleeping under the stars, that sorta thing. I didn't so much play in parks." She looked at him and smiled.

"But enough about me," she began. "I want to hear about _you_."

Inuyasha was caught off-guard. It was the first time someone he'd interviewed asked him about himself.

"Well, I'm twenty-five and I'm an author."

Kagome laughed. "I knew both of those things already. I want to hear who _you_ are. Who is the great Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shrugged, suddenly embarrassed. "I don't know what to say."

Kagome peered at him. "Tell me about your family."

Inuyasha huffed. "I have a jerk for a half-brother, my dad died when I was a baby and my mom died when I was fourteen. That good enough?"

Kagome went serious, the ever-present smile having disappeared when Inuyasha mentioned his deceased parents. "My dad died, too. I was six, though. I've already told you about the accident itself, but the way I felt afterwards…there aren't any words to describe it."

Inuyasha looked into her eyes, feeling a sense of camaraderie pass between them: the darkest kind of camaraderie.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice gruff. "I don't remember my dad, but I remember my mom."

Kagome reached out and took his hand. "What was she like?"

Inuyasha thought back to his few memories of his mother. "She was beautiful and she was _always_ singing. She tried to cook for us, but the only thing she could ever really make was katsudon, so that was a common dinner at our house. Eventually, she became an expert at it. To this day it's still my favorite food."

Kagome's smile had returned when he started talking about his mother.

"And you?" he asked. "What about your father?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "He was an amazing artist. He could paint like no one else I'd ever seen. They were mostly nature pieces, but he dabbled in portraits. Our house was covered in paintings when I was young. I took several of them with me when I moved out after college."

Inuyasha smiled. "It's nice to have those things to remember them by. My mom taught me how to make katsudon. After her, I make the _best_ katsudon."

Kagome suddenly stood up. "I have stuff to make katsudon at my house. I just made some pork, so we can use that for it." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Kagome, we just had dinner and it's super late at night," he protested. "And a good katsudon takes a while to make. Aren't you tired?"

Kagome shook her head, her smile brightening. "Not at all. I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I tried."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Alright then."

They made their way back to Inuyasha's car to head over to Kagome's house.

Once they'd reached their destination, Kagome quickly led him inside. "I can't wait!" she chirped excitedly. Her eyes were dancing in the light of her excitement.

Inuyasha chuckled again as they went inside the apartment.

When they entered, Kagome kicked her shoes off by the front door. Mimicking her actions, Inuyasha set his shoes next to hers, albeit a bit more neatly, and followed her into the kitchen. His sock-adorned feet were silent on the ground as opposed to the slight pats that Kagome's bare feet made on the wooden floor.

Kagome began pulling out bowls, pots, and utensils before opening the fridge. She pulled out a large pot and set it on the counter.

"Here's the pork!" she announced excitedly.

Inuyasha was confused. "You just happened to have made pork for katsudon?" he asked suspiciously.

Kagome nodded. "Yep!" She paused for a moment. "Is that weird?"

Inuyasha shrugged. _Uh, yeah…_

"Nah," he finally replied. "Just lucky I guess."

Kagome's smile brightened. "I prefer the term _serendipity_."

Inuyasha chuckled as he opened the lid to the pot to examine the pork. It looked perfect for their second dinner, and he found himself excited to prepare it.

Kagome, unsurprisingly, had all of the other things he needed for the katsudon and was nothing but eager to help him prepare everything.

They easily worked together to cook and finish up the katsudon. Kagome asked every question possible about how to prepare the meal, but Inuyasha wasn't annoyed by it, which was surprising. Usually small things annoyed him.

But not Kagome.

When they had finished, it was well into the night, but that didn't stop them from enjoying it.

Kagome made tea while Inuyasha set the table before bringing the fresh pot of katsudon to the small dining area.

Once the tea had been poured and the food served, they began to eat.

"Itadakimasu!" Kagome exclaimed before taking her first bite.

Inuyasha chuckled. "Itadakimasu," he echoed.

It was silent for a moment as they both tasted their first bites of food.

"Excellent," Kagome finally said, breaking the silence. "This is the best katsudon I've ever had."

Inuyasha smirked. "Told ya," he replied. "The pork is really good. How did you make it?"

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "Chef's secret."

Inuyasha frowned. "I just walked you through every step of my famous katsudon recipe. You can't share your pork secret?"  
Kagome giggled. "Nope," she replied.

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh. There was just something about her.

"Fine, fine," he finally conceded, a smile on his face.

The pair talked over the meal as an easy vibe came over them. Somehow, Kagome's presence was comforting; he felt rejuvenated and more alive than he'd felt in a long time.

When they finished dinner, they did the dishes.

Before Inuyasha could announce that he should probably get home, Kagome gently tugged on his sleeve.

"One more cup of tea?" she asked hopefully, her blue eyes shining.

How could he say no?

They sat down on the couch with their respective cups of tea. Kagome's gaze was trained on him, her smile bright as it always was.

"Tell me about the novel you're writing," she requested. "I want to hear about it."

Inuyasha chuckled. "You already know about it," he replied. "Isn't that why you interviewed?"

Kagome shrugged. "I only know the basics. Tell me more about it. I want the juicy details."

Inuyasha grimaced. "There's nothing juicy about it. My editor keeps sending my drafts back to me. He thinks they're...how did he say it? _Bland_. _Lacking passion._"

Kagome frowned. "I'm sure the book isn't bland. You're an award-winning author."

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, but with one stand-alone novel. I've never written a book series like this current one, so there's a lot of pressure riding on it. Am I a one-hit-wonder author or do I actually have the talent to continue?"

He took a sip of his tea, his mind drifting to the series he'd been working on a bit that day. "I worked on it a little today, but it still feels so far from being done."

Kagome caught his eye. "So tell me about it. I want to judge for myself if it sounds as bland as your editor thinks."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Okay, well, it's a fantasy kind of historical fiction story. The main character falls down a well and is transported back to Feudal Japan. The character meets a half-demon that's pinned to a tree. He'd been trapped there by the woman he loved because of the deception of the book's main villain. The woman dies and the half-demon is sealed to the tree for fifty years before the main character comes through the well and sets him free."

Kagome smiled. "That sounds fascinating. What else?"

"They meet other characters," Inuyasha continued. "A little fox demon, a demon slayer, and a monk along with some other people along the way." He huffed. "I have pretty much the whole story figured out except for the main character and the dynamic I want there to be between them and the half-demon."

Kagome frowned. "My interview didn't help?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"It did," he replied. "Greatly. But...I don't know. I still hadn't decided, but it was one of the best interviews I've conducted. But there's only so much I can do with material that's presented to me. Sometimes I wonder if I have what it takes to succeed again."

Kagome seemed to ponder that for a moment as a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Well, I think it'll all work out. Besides, it must be so freeing to be an author, right?" Her musing was quiet, nothing more than a murmur, but Inuyasha grimaced at it.

"There's nothing _freeing_ about it," he interjected gruffly. "I'm on constant deadlines and everything I write has to be scrutinized a million times before it can even be considered for printing."

Kagome eyed his slight outburst. Trying to calm himself down, Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I've got a lot riding on this and it's turned from something I always thought was fun to do as a kid into something I'm starting to resent as an adult. I mean, this is my _career_ now. In all honesty, I made enough money from the first book to retire now and be comfortable, but I don't want to. I actually _want_ to write. I have my dream career...what other person gets to say that? But it's everything else that's pushing in on me that's making it so hard."

Kagome was still peering at him as he unloaded what had been eating away at him for weeks now. "So don't let it push in on you." Her response was simple, and it nearly sent Inuyasha into a rage.

Remaining calm, he looked at her, albeit with a tinge of irritation. "What do you mean? I _have_ to listen to my editor and the publishing company."

Kagome smiled at him. "Of course, but in the end, you are still the author. Nothing can be published if you don't give them something. Even if they try to force it out of you, they're not going to publish rushed crap from you. Everyone is expecting greatness that we all know you are perfectly capable of delivering. So focus on what you're writing. Don't let them try to push you into something you don't love or don't feel proud to have written. Everyone knows you're better than that, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "I...I don't know what to say."

Kagome giggled. "You can't overthink it. There are times when we think we can't do something or that it won't work out. That's when we become our own adversary. The thought that we _can't_ do something or that even if we _can_ then we won't be able to execute it perfectly is what keeps success from happening."  
Inuyasha breathed a laugh. "You're right."

Kagome smiled. "I would say I'm 'main character' right."

Inuyasha laughed. "You know what...so would I. I've been so focused on writing the book that I know the editor and publishers want that I haven't thought as much about the book that _I_ want to write. I've made a lot of changes I didn't agree with, so maybe it's time to change them _back_. You're right...it is my book, after all."

Beaming at him, Kagome nodded. "There you go," she said. "And as for the dynamic between the hanyo and the main character...well, a little romance never hurt anyone, right?"

Inuyasha looked into her eyes to find the significance of her words resting right in front of him.

Before he could speak, Kagome put her teacup down and stood up. Walking over to her stereo, she turned on the radio.

Flipping through until she found a song she liked, she walked back over to Inuyasha and held her hand out.

"Dance with me?" she asked.

Inuyasha, dazzled into silence, could only nod.

He rose up to look down at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms came up to loop around his neck.

"My father once told me that a journey takes longer if you overthink it or if you constantly stare at the clock." Her blue eyes took on a dreamy gaze as they swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the song. "If I were in class, I would always watch the clock and wish away the time. When I told my dad about it, he told me that if I kept staring at the clock, it would seem like the hands on it would never move." She chuckled. "So I stopped staring at the clock."

Inuyasha continued looking at her, his interest piqued.

Kagome smiled. "We do that so often in life," she continued. "We stare at the clock and wish that time would stop or that it would go faster, but it's so rare that we ignore the clock and just live in the moment. I'm not talking about that 'seize the day' kind of mindset, but I guess just stepping away and not seizing any day or moment at all. Just...living, I suppose."

Inuyasha was stunned into silence at her profound words. "With you, Kagome, I feel like I'm finally living. I haven't felt this alive since...I can't even remember when."

She smiled up at him as her hand moved to cup his cheek. "I think we were destined to meet, no matter the circumstance. Real, not real, it doesn't matter."

Inuyasha frowned. "What do you mean 'not real?' This is all real."

Her smile turned sad. "You can make it real, Inuyasha. Only _you_ can make it real."

Confusion caused an uneasiness in his heart. "Kagome, what's going on?"

She gently moved her thumb over his cheek. "Our time is up," she said, her voice devastatingly sad. "But don't forget me, Inuyasha. _Make me real_."

The uneasiness suddenly evaporated from his body as the living room they were in drifted away into an indistinct blur until all he could see was Kagome.

Her smile was the brightest he'd seen it yet.

"Kagome," he said as he leaned down to kiss her. She moved up to meet him halfway.

Before their lips could touch, everything went black.

A rugged gasp tore from Inuyasha's mouth as he sat up in his bed. He was drenched in sweat and completely disoriented.

He looked around at his dark bedroom and the blanket that had twisted around him. He was alone; Kagome was nowhere in sight.

_It was all a dream?_

For some odd reason he would never be able to explain, silent tears slid down his cheeks as he jumped out of bed to check his phone.

There were no text messages from her.

It had all been a dream.

_Kagome…_

**One Year Later:**

Inuyasha adjusted his tie and smoothed out the sleeves of his sports coat as the host was announcing him.

After his name was called, he walked onto the stage and waved to the cheering crowd.

With his first novel, he had always hated book signings and question and answer sessions, but he was so much happier since the release of his newest series that he didn't mind too much anymore.

Inuyasha had planned a five-book series, all of which had been approved for publication by his editor and his publishing company despite the fact that he'd only completely finished writing two-and-a-half of the five books. It was _that_ good of a story and he was _that_ good of an author.

The first book of the new series had sold a record-breaking amount of copies in the three months it had been out, so after more had been published, he set off on his first book tour for the series.

He bowed to the host and sat down at the panel where he would be answering questions before signing books.

The first several questions were about the process of releasing his second book series and how long he'd been writing it.

It wasn't until the fifth question came that Inuyasha really _felt_ something.

A young girl, maybe around eight or nine, smiled and held her copy of the book close to her chest.

"How did you come up with the main character? She's so brave and kind...how did you create her?"

Inuyasha's heart constricted, but he smiled.

"It might sound odd, but when I create characters, I 'interview' them. I imagine that I'm sitting down for coffee with them and that it's just like a normal job interview. If the 'conversation' goes well, then they become a character. The main character of this book had a great interview, but I still wasn't completely sure about her afterwards."

His smile faded a bit. "She came to me in a dream that night, though, and that's when I got to know her in the freedom of a world in which she was a real person. Then when I woke up, she became my main character and I made her _real._"

The little girl that had asked the question smiled. "Kagome feels real to me when I read the book."

The audience applauded and Inuyasha felt a bittersweet pride wash over him.

If Kagome had been a true, living person, Inuyasha knew she would have loved this.

There were still times even now that he forgets that she was just a girl from his dreams. That's when he goes back and rereads the book of the girl born with the Shikon Jewel inside of her that falls in love with a hard-hearted half-demon before finally softening his heart with her kindness and unconditional love.

To him, Kagome was as real as could be.

**FIN.**

Hmmm, so did you see that coming?

I know some of the stuff about the process of getting a book published probably isn't exact or accurate, but maybe we could overlook it? ;)

Let me know what you think. This was quite a special story to me.

Much love.


End file.
